1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates generally to an image recording device which records an image on a recording medium conveyed by a roller. In particular, the present invention is directed towards an image recording device comprising a guide member which guides a recording medium to the roller.
2. Description of Related Art
A known image recording device, a printer, such as the image recording device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2005-247544, includes a conveying device which conveys a recording medium along a U-shaped conveying path. In the known image recording device, sheets of recording medium are stacked on a sheet cassette and are conveyed upward along a guide member, which defines the U-shaped conveying path, to an inkjet type recording unit.
The guide member guides a sheet to a conveying roller which performs sheet registration by correcting the skew of the sheet and positioning a lead edge of the sheet. Accurately positioning the sheet at the conveying roller is important for ensuring sheet registration and for preventing sheet jamming. Therefore, the guide member includes C-shaped hooks at both ends thereof, and the hooks are fitted around a shaft of the conveying roller. This improves the accuracy of fixing the position of the guide member with respect to the conveying roller.
The conveying roller is cylindrical and has a circular cross-section having a constant diameter when cut at any position thereof in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The conveying roller extends over the sheet width, and the guide member is fitted around the both ends of the conveying roller which do not contact the sheet to be conveyed. Nevertheless, when the guide member has a relatively large width corresponding to the width of a sheet to be conveyed, and the guide member comprises a synthetic resin, the guide member is likely to bend in the width direction during operation. Consequently, during operation, the middle portion of the guide member does not maintain a fixed position with respect to the conveying roller. When the guide member conveys a sheet, the bending of the guide member may cause the position at which the middle portion of the sheet contacts the conveying roller to vary, thereby resulting in faulty sheet registration or sheet jamming.